Tailor-made business

Alterations are the secret to a perfect fit

That's a tip from Clinton Kelly and Stacy London, co-hosts of TLC's "What Not to Wear."

"You can spend thousands and thousands of dollars on a wardrobe with the best fabrics in the world by the best designers in the world," Kelly said in a recent interview. "And if they do not fit you, they will look cheap."

Raymond Girard couldn't agree more.

Every day, he and partner Connie Fields, owners of the Creative Needle in Amarillo, tweak everything from men's suits to bridal gowns - even blue jeans.

"We do it all," Girard said. "This is prom season so right now we're absolutely swamped."

Customers face a three-week wait to get dresses hemmed because the four-person shop can barely keep up with demand.

Business is booming, Amarillo tailors say, because few people know how to sew.

"Used to be, moms did all the sewing," said Janey Morgan, owner of Janey's boutique. "But my generation doesn't sew. We send everything to a tailor."

Marcos Campos opened The Perfect Fit five years ago after several years of altering garments for Bealls and J.C. Penney.

"No matter where people buy their clothes, there's always some detail that isn't right," he said. "It's those details that will make the clothes fit better and look good."

Specialty clothing stores realize the value of garments tailored to a customer's body type. Some offer alterations as a free service.

"Well over half of the people who purchase something in our store need some kind of alterations - a hem in pants or a sleeve to shorten," said Cathi Lake, owner of J. Winston.

She has an in-store alterations department with two full-time seamstresses.

"It's a very important service for our customers," she said. "I believe it's one of the reasons women shop with us."

At Raffkind's, the staff will mark garments and ship them off - at no charge - to The Perfect Fit and other local tailors. Riley Blue also provides free alterations to customers for regular priced garments.

Sometimes, tailors say, their jobs entail more than just a hem or a tweaking.

Often, they dole out fashion advice.

"Most people wear sleeves too long and that makes their arms look short," said Connie Hone, owner of Connie's Alterations and Dry Cleaners.